Rope — The Start to a Great Conversation
“Nobody commits a murder just for the experiment of committing it. Nobody except us.”
Date watched: August 18, 2020
Date released: 1948
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Memorable Cast: John Dall (Brandon), Farley Granger (Phillip), and James Stewart (Rupert Cadell)
Awards
This wasn’t my favorite movie. It was good for a quick dinner party, tension filled story. I liked it alright, but I just don’t feel like I have a lot to say about it. Now, normally when I’m in a situation like this I wouldn’t write a review since, you know, I don’t have a lot to say. But, I watched this movie with my parents and it sparked a great conversation which made the whole experience more enjoyable.
I normally have not been someone who becomes deeply invested in the symbolism behind films. An honorable and exceptional mention is that in the eighth grade when I first watched Donnie Darko I considered writing an essay on the parallels between Donnie and Jesus and begging my religion teacher to consider it for extra credit. I didn’t if you were wondering, but that’s the most I think I’ve ever been invested in the symbolism of a movie. I think part of that is a lack of factual understanding of art analysis and art history, which is something that I am actively learning, but I also enjoy more tangible elements of film; like plot and dialogue for example. Which is, I think, totally acceptable. Art doesn’t have to be deeply enriched in symbolism to be enjoyable, and it is up to the viewers discretion whether or not they want to search for a deeper meaning. I think people that like art, especially film, end up falling into a hole where they think everything has to have some greater meaning. But sometimes it just doesn’t. And harping too much on minor details can sometimes make the art less enjoyable, which I think looses a lot of its meaning.
But I digress. After we finished the movie we immediately started dissecting and trying to find symbolism in two specific parts of the movie, which is something foreign to me. This conversation that came about was more meaningful to me than the movie itself. So, sorry if you were looking for a formal review but from here on out it’s not going to be that.
So, I’m gonna sound like a huge hypocrite. The things my parents and I were talking about for symbolism are those very minor details that I essentially just said were cliché to overanalyze. But, I’m acknowledging this fact now so it kind of makes up for the fact that I’m going to spend the rest of this review telling you about it.
The first thing we talked about was more general. I started to notice as the film progressed the obvious increase in tension at the dinner party. But, it reminded me a lot of the short story, The Tale-Tell Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. I kept finding small details that confirmed or strengthened my inklings. Such as a metronome in the background of a tense conversation, the subtle flash of lights at the end that seemed to pulse in a heartbeat like pattern, or the tone of dialogues being in iambic patterns. To be able to have an intellectually driven conversation afterwards with my parents comparing them was really interesting and fun. Now that I’ve finished the movie, I have been able to see that other people before me also can see this connection which feels very gratifying to someone who is still learning about analyzing symbolism.
The next important thing we talked about were those flashing lights in the final scene. I’m not gonna talk about what actually happens in that scene because spoilers, but I’ll set the scene. There are people in a room and very subtly red and green lights are flashing onto them. Now, I had recently watched a video about the history of the color green’s connection to death/evil in media and immediately shared that connection. My parents however were not so convinced and we engaged in a conversation that probably spanned a half an hour about the history of the color green, flower language, and symbolism’s history with art and religion. To regain my honor and not bore you to death I’ll sum up the part of the conversation that directly related to the movie by explaining the history of the color green which, I mostly learned about from a Racked Article you can find here (I’ll link some more articles down below too, I think it’s really interesting). Basically in the nineteenth century people found out how to make emerald green using arsenic which killed people because, well… arsenic. These deaths were horrific and yet women kept wearing these emerald green dresses because they were pretty or using the color for wallpaper. This phenomenon that lasted almost a full decade got depicted in some newspapers by skeletons dancing in green dresses, which is one of earlier connections with the color green and death.
But, was Hitchcock actually using those green flashing lights to symbolize death?
Probably not.
But, I think it’s pretty cool to be able to have such a passionate discussion about art based on one hour and a half movie from almost seventy five years ago. That inspiration for deeper discussion is what makes this movie stand out to me now and probably will for a long time. Having something that inspires people to think is an aspect that makes art like this film great.
Rating: 6.5/10
I have actually decided that this movie belongs on my all time favorites list because the symbolism caused me to have so much passionate thought about the meaning of the color green, which coincidentally happens to be my favorite color.
Articles about the color green and death/evil: BBC, Live Science, Jezebel
The book Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present by Alison Matthews David mentions the emerald green dress phenomenon in more detail.
A chart that explains colors meanings across cultures.
August 19, 2020